1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a vascular prosthesis.
2. Description of Related Art
The vascular prostheses used in vascular surgery for treating diseased blood vessels, particularly artery segments, by bypass or by replacement, are essentially cylindrical tubes which, in certain cases, may have branches.
The prostheses in common use today are obtained by weaving or knitting polyester fibers, for example those known as Dacron, the fabric or knit then being coated with a layer of impermeable material. Vascular prostheses made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) are also used.
An anastomosis of a vascular prosthesis, i.e. placing it in communication with a blood vessel, is traditionally effected by a butt junction of the prosthesis and the vessel, namely by placing their respective openings opposite each other and then edge-suturing these openings. FIG. 1 shows such an anastomosis schematically.
When the diseased portion of a vessel is replaced, an end-to-end anastomosis is made, i.e. the prosthesis is placed in the axial extension of the healthy part of the vessel in place of the diseased portion, which is removed.
In the case of a bypass, an end-to-side anastomosis is made, meaning that the opening in the prosthesis is connected laterally to the vessel, in which a lateral opening has previously been created for the purpose.
In both cases, the prosthesis is sutured to the vessel by a thread.
This surgical technique, which today is well mastered, gives good results.
However, the making of the many suture stitches necessary to create the anastomosis of a prosthesis on a vessel is a skilled operation that must be executed in a small working space, as is the case in particular when the endoscopic technique is used to operate on a vessel through a small opening.
In this case, the time taken by surgery is greatly prolonged, which certain patients may tolerate with difficulty.
It may also be the case that the suturing of a prosthesis onto a diseased artery is very difficult to accomplish, for example when the artery wall is calcified.
The goal of the present invention is to overcome these drawbacks by providing a vascular prosthesis that can be anastomosed onto a vessel without suturing in a particularly simple, rapid, and reliable manner.